Bursting at the seams: Rippled monolayer bismuth on NbSe<sub>2</sub>.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29662952.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aaq0330 and PMC identifier 5898843.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
Bismuth, one of the heaviest semimetals in nature, ignited the interest of the materials physics community for its potential impact on topological quantum material systems that use its strong spin-orbit coupling and unique orbital hybridization. In particular, recent theoretical predictions of unique topological and superconducting properties of thin bismuth films and interfaces prompted intense research on the growth of submonolayers to a few monolayers of bismuth on different substrates. Similar to bulk rhombohedral bismuth, the initial growth of bismuth films on most substrates results in buckled bilayers that grow in either the (111) or (110) directions, with a lattice constant close to that of bulk Bi. By contrast, we show a new growth pattern for bismuth monolayers on NbSe<sub>2</sub>. We find that the initial growth of Bi can form a strongly bonded commensurate layer, resulting in a compressively strained two-dimensional (2D) triangular lattice. We also observed unique pattern of 1D ripples and domain walls is observed. The single layer of bismuth also introduces strong marks on the electronic properties at the surface.